Dear members of Unami Lodge,
For those of you whom I have not had the privilege of meeting, my name is Matt R., and I am honored to serve as your lodge chief through this historic year. As we have progressed throughout the year, you have no doubt heard about the exciting changes coming to the Order of the Arrow both within our induction and outside of it. After experiencing it first-hand when we hosted the Section Induction Experience, I wanted to share some insight and present you all with an exciting opportunity.
An Explanation of What is New
The new induction for the Order of the Arrow is focused around unifying individuals and expanding the three core tenets of the Order - Brotherhood, Cheerfulness, and Service. It is designed to be a personal and guided experience that focuses on learning about our history, customs, and the traditions of our Brotherhood. The structure of this new induction is created in such a manner that our mission and the values set by our founders remain unchanged!
The National Committee of the Order of the Arrow has created numerous resources that are jam-packed with information about the new induction process. These resources explain what to expect from the new induction without spoiling it for current or future members who will experience it. Linked, here, is the homepage for all of those resources, I strongly encourage you to read-through them and see everything the new induction has to offer.
There are familiar aspects to the induction that everyone will recognize, and plenty of new components that have been appreciated by many of those who have been able to go through this induction. Although some of the components are new, the core principles of the Order of the Arrow remain central.
The New Induction & Our Implementation Plan
The Order of the Arrow has just finished its pilot program for this new induction. Lodges and sections throughout the nation experienced and offered feedback to the initial design, allowing the National Committee, tasked with creating this induction experience, to make changes that better fit the current membership. We were among the first in the nation to see the updated version at the Section Induction Experience we hosted in May. With us hosting this training weekend for several other lodges, we were cleared by the National Committee to begin hosting this new induction for existing members and new members alike.
Thanks to this approval, we are excited to announce that we have decided to begin offering the new version of the induction at the Summer Induction Weekend in August. In addition to inducting new members as we typically do, we have space for 30 current members of Unami Lodge to experience this new induction as well! While we would love to have more spots for existing members to go through the new induction, we unfortunately have to limit this number for our first-ever weekend with this new induction. Based on feedback from the Summer Induction weekend, more spots will be opened at Fall Fellowship and throughout the 2027 induction opportunities.
This is a VERY important moment for the OA and Unami Lodge, and I am beyond excited to be able to share it with you all. As we continue to move forward with the planning necessary for incorporating the new induction schedule and logistics, I’d ask you to keep an open mind. It is truly a transformation for the better and will allow the OA to welcome new members in a meaningful way for future generations.
The Officers, Advisors, Ceremonialists, Inductions Staff, and camps have been putting in tons of effort towards this, and we look forward to welcoming new members and returning members alike in August!
Information about Summer Inductions Weekend: